Earlier today, we reported on the
attempted assassination of a former superhero. We can now confirm that the victim has been identified as
Steve Rogers, a.k.a. Captain America. Rogers was pronounced dead at Mercy Hospital due to injuries suffered from multiple gunshot wounds to the shoulder, chest and stomach.
Eyewitness reports claim that the initial bullet, tagging Rogers in the shoulder, came from a sniper perched atop or in one of the buildings adjacent to the Federal Courthouse. Several other shots were fired during the ensuing commotion--hitting Rogers in the chest and stomach--but witnesses fleeing the scene, as well as the U.S. Marshals who were escorting Rogers, have stated there was only one sniper shot fired.
The identity of the assassin(s), as well as the origin of the other shots, have not yet been revealed. Agents from
S.H.I.E.L.D., the FBI and local police are working together on the investigation and have begun combing the buildings in the area. A S.H.I.E.L.D. spokesperson declined to comment on the shooting, and stressed that few details regarding the investigation would be available while it's being conducted.
Rogers, a veteran of World War II, thought lost during the close of those hostilities, returned to action decades later and was instrumental in the early days of the
Avengers. He had been at the forefront of American superheroics until recently when he openly and violently opposed the U.S. government's Super Human Registration Act. As Captain America, Rogers battled pro-Registration forces last week in Manhattan until surrendering himself to S.H.I.E.L.D. custody. He was on his way to his arraignment when he was struck down earlier today.
Rogers has never been married and has no known living relatives.
For more on the shooting, please see
Captain America #25 and for further perspective on Captain America and these events, keep reading the Daily Bugle.
UPDATE: Daily Bugle Staff Photographer Steve Epting has submitted photos from the scene.
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